Wine Prices too high??

[fuzzywuzzy]

Sorry if this has been asked before, but what is the corking fee for opening your own wine brought to the table for dinner?

[kakalina]

Sorry if this has been asked before, but what is the corking fee for opening your own wine brought to the table for dinner?

 

$15 it is posted on page 1 of this thread. :)

[hemingway7]

I agree it is not worth it to save $7 a bottle but I think I will bring a champagne bottle or two and a couple of high dollar reds which I will be happy to pay the $15 corkage, especially eating in the Pinicle Grill.

[JimnKaren]

We quit buying bottles of wine for dinner when we go out for two reasons: it got to be too expensive for that entire bottle (new law recently passed locally allows you to take with you when you leave a restaurant any bottle of wine that was not finished during your meal--no penalty); and the other reason was that we got too drunk too often. We will stop at a local store and buy something that we know we appreciate and make it last two meals on board ship. We drink more wine at home than we do when out due to the pricing thing everywhere. The other reason: it is more comfortable to drink at home and we don't have to worry about drinking and driving.

 

The other thought has to do with profit centers for businesses. Consider the local C-store that now sells almost anything you would want. Some convenience stores get only 30% of their profits from the sale of gasoline and automotive products. Cigarettes, liquor (if allowed) and fountain soda are the way to make money in what used to be simple gas stations. The same is for HAL or any other cruise line. They are answering to the investors not the cruisers, make money on everything. There are no "loss-leaders" on a cruise ship.

 

Karen and I rarely take 7 day cruises anymore. It allows us to "chat up" our favorite bartender or server. Often, we get an extra pour of whatever we are having. The server likes to have a "favorite" passenger who is not whiny or bossy and who will return time after time for good service. The staff members who are aware of that are those who get the most positive comment cards at the end of the cruise. If you treat your server with a bit of kindness (and maybe a cash tip) you might be amazed at how big your glasses of wine are.

 

Jim

[billroddy]

I bought a 1.5 litre bottle of red wine aboard, allowed by HAL, and prescribed by my cardiologist! And enjoyed my pre-meal drink in our cabin.

I could have taken it to the dining room, but being a frugal sort I did not when I read the following:

A corkage fee of US$15.00 applies to wine and champagne brought to the restaurants or bars for consumption.

Bill

[m steve]

Bought a bottle at Total wine for 9.95 for Thanksgiving on the cruise and had dinner at a French restaurant in Miami and they served it at $28 a bottle. I think that was a fair mark up. More than 3X is too much. Add the $15 corkage annd it's about the same.

[jimgev]

[i should add that the price of wine bothers me even when dining out. When I go to a restaurant the cost of the meal is much more than the cost of the ingredients. But the food has to be cleaned, prepared, cooked and then cleaned up afterwards to make it a meal. But I've never understood why the large markup on a bottle of wine which only requires removing a cork and pouring it. (Or removing the bottle cap if you're a connoiseur like me;) ).]

 

In the same way that overhead is added to the price of the food, it is also added to wine and liquor in a restsurant. Liability insurance for an establishment selling alcohol is not cheap plus it enables the establishment to kep its overall costs down. The overall profit margin in a typical restaurant is very slim. As a matter of fact, restaurants have one of the highest failure rates of any business.

[terrydtx]

Bought a bottle at Total wine for 9.95 for Thanksgiving on the cruise and had dinner at a French restaurant in Miami and they served it at $28 a bottle. I think that was a fair mark up. More than 3X is too much. Add the $15 corkage annd it's about the same.

 

And that same wine on HAL would have been $40 in the DR. Some one I think in this thread or maybe another said that Berringer White Zinfandel was $29 in the DR, and Total Wine's price is $4.59.

 

I just ordered a case of wine online from FLL Total Wine that I will pick up Friday morning on my way to the cruise terminal includes one bottle of Port. Total price for 12 bottles was less than $140 with sales tax.:D :D Most of these will be for in our cabin comsumption and not subject to corkage fee.:p :p

[Harry1954]

Having read through the whole thread and being a wine lover who always orders wine when onboard, I suspect that those who are upset with the wine prices are probably happy with the cost of the cruise; those that accept the prices of the wines recognize the reasonableness of the cost of the cruise.

Certainly there are many other issues, net cost of the cruise including onboard expenses is how we review what a vacation has cost us when it is over. Further, it is one of the parameters we use when comparing one cruise line with another.

HAL does ok by us ..

Harry

[advocado]

Having read through the whole thread and being a wine lover who always orders wine when onboard, I suspect that those who are upset with the wine prices are probably happy with the cost of the cruise; those that accept the prices of the wines recognize the reasonableness of the cost of the cruise.

Certainly there are many other issues, net cost of the cruise including onboard expenses is how we review what a vacation has cost us when it is over. Further, it is one of the parameters we use when comparing one cruise line with another.

HAL does ok by us ..

Harry

I have always felt that the prices charged for wine in the DR are consistent with those charge by restaurants. Some wonderful Washington State wines were on the Noordam for our recent Alaska cruise and when I returned and checked them out, the prices on board were not out of line.

[luckysadie]

We will probably pick up a bottle of Dom Perignon at Costco for $125 ($250 on board) for our traditional sail-away on our veranda. DH calls one of our sons to let him know that we are on our veranda drinking Dom Perignon and watching lights of Fort Lauderdale as we sail away. DS lets us know how much he "appreciates" the call.

 

A few years ago we were doing our sail-away" when a woman on the veranda just beneath ours asked where was the "pointy end" of the ship. (We were very near the bridge.) DH and I both had to immediately go inside our stateroom to avoid spitting our champagne over the side.:eek:

[Boytjie]

Don't buy the cheapest, go for second cheapest. Food establishments up the profit on the cheapest wine because so many would go for that. Go for just above the cheapest and you'd get a better deal.

 

Living in New York may distort things, but I did not think that wine prices were on HAL worse than in New York restaurants.

[cassandra44]

Yes HAL wine and booze prices are very high, and speaking as a Canadian who cruised when our dollar was around 60 plus cents to the US dollar we used to get hosed right royally... e.g. paying about $11 for a martini! Thank goodness for the recent rise in the Canadian dollar!

Of course you can't expect to pay what you would pay for wine in a store but there should be some limit to the greed. Isn't 100% mark up good enough for HAL?

On board ship it should be possible to buy a decent bottle of Argentinian, Chilean or Aussie wine for under $25 (the actual cost being around $12 in a Canadian liquor store - and that's with a huge govt mark up - and I assume that the cost would be lower in the States).

Of course the other area where cruise lines hose their passengers is in relation to excursions. On our last cruise we organized our own trips, rather than taking the overpriced ship ones. We had a wonderful experience...so much better than being herded around like cattle on the ship excursions- and having to wait at each stop for the folks who are always 15 minutes late!

[Palms2Pines2Sea]

Wine prices in HAL restaurants and bars are higher than Applebee's and TGIFriday's, and lower than Four Seasons. Sorry to report, but I find them competitive with like/kind establishments. I know the prices have increased lately, and they will continue to go up while the US dollar gets beaten up in the international business arena.

Now let's talk about the shipboard price for a 5x7 photo! How 'bout that markup?:eek:

[fuzzywuzzy]

Yes HAL wine and booze prices are very high, and speaking as a Canadian who cruised when our dollar was around 60 plus cents to the US dollar we used to get hosed right royally... e.g. paying about $11 for a martini! Thank goodness for the recent rise in the Canadian dollar!

!

 

Yeaaaa for the rise of the Canadian dollar !! Yes, I agree with you that as Canadians we were being hit extra hard when purchasing anything in U.S. dollars on our vacations especially when prices are inflated in the first place. (ever been on an island shopping excursion where shop owners tell you to come and shop when there are NO cruise ships in port? - because prices are lower then). I also think the markup on the liquour on cruiselines is far too high. I paid about $12.00 for a martini and nearly fell off my chair when the receipt came. I think my DH DID fall off his chair !! LOL

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Wine prices in HAL restaurants and bars are higher than Applebee's and TGIFriday's, and lower than Four Seasons. Sorry to report, but I find them competitive with like/kind establishments. I know the prices have increased lately, and they will continue to go up while the US dollar gets beaten up in the international business arena.

 

Now let's talk about the shipboard price for a 5x7 photo! How 'bout that markup?:eek:

 

 

I agree with you 100% which is what I tried to say when this thread first started. We live in Las Vegas and the prices for a bottle of wine here can be extremely high but not shockiing. I would never consider comparing the price of a bottle of wine to what I pay in the grocery store or Applebee's. Someone mentioned it earlier that if we want to continue to enjoy the price of cruising then there are just going to be some things that we pay a bit more for. I would love to have anyone compare the pirce of what they pay for 7 nights at the Grand Wailea in Maui plus dining and bottle of wine to what they would pay in a S Suite on any HAL ship. That Maui resort is going to cost you 4 times what HAL will cost plus the cost of Food:eek: And let me tell you the service does not even come close.

[garardo]

Are they really all to high? Here are a few prices to compare:

 

Wine Las Vegas Ship

Taittinger La francaise NV 87 68

Far Niente Cardonnay 05 97 86

Cunundrum 70 52

Jordon Cabernet 95 82

Tignanello 130 98

Louis Xlll 120 90

 

Some of the ship prices might be a bit higher then what I an showing. The Las Vegas prices are current as of 11-01-2007

 

 

garardo

[Odd Ball]

But Hal isn't the Grand Wailea. Come to think of it, isn't everything expensive in Hawaii ?

Hal's mark up is too high for a bottle of wine. I have difficulty with the thought of paying 29.00 for a 5.00 bottle of wine.

Before someone says it, I know I don't have to buy it and I don't. If it were 10.00 - 13.00 I would. I wonder how many others would buy it if the pricing were more reasonable ?

[LAFFNVEGAS]

But Hal isn't the Grand Wailea. Come to think of it, isn't everything expensive in Hawaii ?

 

Hal's mark up is too high for a bottle of wine. I have difficulty with the thought of paying 29.00 for a 5.00 bottle of wine.

 

Before someone says it, I know I don't have to buy it and I don't. If it were 10.00 - 13.00 I would. I wonder how many others would buy it if the pricing were more reasonable ?

 

Odd Ball I think you missed garardo's post who gave a very good comparison. I totally agree you don't even have to go to a 5 star restaurant here in Las Vegas to see the prices he is showing. I feel that Las Vegas resorts are definitely a fiar comparison to the ships. Plus on the ships you have much better service. The prices for most wines and and sparkling wines are definitely less expensive on the ship than you would find at any Las Vegas resort.

[garardo]

Odd Ball,

 

When you are looking at the prices of the wine you should look at all of the information on the label. Vintage, type of grapes, area of production, acutal producer. It is very normal for a wine producer to create a number of Chardonnay wines from different areas at different price points. For Example, a Chardonnay from the North Coast could be much less expensive then one from Green Valley or Carneros. Please try to compare Navel oranges to Navel oranges. If you throw a Blood orange into the mix you will not be making a fair comparision.

 

Garardo

[Odd Ball]

I fully understand what you are saying.

Maybe I am wrong but I didn't think Sutter Home got into regions etc.

 

These are Hal's prices

502 Sutter Home Fre Chardonnay $ 21.00

503 Sutter Home Fre White Zinfandel $ 19.00

504 Sutter Home Fre Premium Red $ 21.00

 

These prices are from Total Wine

 

Sutter Home Fre Chardonnay $ 4.49

Sutter Home Fre White Zinfandel $ 3.49

Sutter Home Fre Premium Red $ 3.49

[Odd Ball]

I fully understand what you are saying.

 

Maybe I am wrong but I didn't think Sutter Home got into regions etc.

 

These are Hal's prices

502 Sutter Home Fre Chardonnay $ 21.00

503 Sutter Home Fre White Zinfandel $ 19.00

504 Sutter Home Fre Premium Red $ 21.00

 

These prices are from Total Wine

 

Sutter Home Fre Chardonnay $ 4.49

Sutter Home Fre White Zinfandel $ 3.49

Sutter Home Fre Premium Red $ 3.49

[LAFFNVEGAS]

I fully understand what you are saying.

 

Maybe I am wrong but I didn't think Sutter Home got into regions etc.

 

These are Hal's prices

502 Sutter Home Fre Chardonnay $ 21.00

503 Sutter Home Fre White Zinfandel $ 19.00

504 Sutter Home Fre Premium Red $ 21.00

 

These prices are from Total Wine

 

Sutter Home Fre Chardonnay $ 4.49

Sutter Home Fre White Zinfandel $ 3.49

Sutter Home Fre Premium Red $ 3.49

 

Odd ball, you cannot compare price of a retail store to a restuarant or cruise ship. A much closer comparison is a resturant at a resort or at least a 4 star hotel.

 

poster jimgev made this comment which holds very true for a cruise line

In the same way that overhead is added to the price of the food, it is also added to wine and liquor in a restsurant. Liability insurance for an establishment selling alcohol is not cheap plus it enables the establishment to kep its overall costs down. The overall profit margin in a typical restaurant is very slim. As a matter of fact, restaurants have one of the highest failure rates of any business.

[garardo]

I fully understand what you are saying.

 

Maybe I am wrong but I didn't think Sutter Home got into regions etc.

 

These are Hal's prices

502 Sutter Home Fre Chardonnay $ 21.00

503 Sutter Home Fre White Zinfandel $ 19.00

504 Sutter Home Fre Premium Red $ 21.00

 

These prices are from Total Wine

 

Sutter Home Fre Chardonnay $ 4.49

Sutter Home Fre White Zinfandel $ 3.49

Sutter Home Fre Premium Red $ 3.49

 

All of these wines are with no booze in them am I correct? I still am in the dark as to the vintage. Normaly wine without the ethenol will spoil very quickly. The average person does not know a slightly off bottle from a fresh one. It is normal for most retail sellers of wine to have a much higher 4-5 times on the lowest cost wine. They have to make a minimum profit on all there bottles. As the wholesale price of the bottle goes up, the mark up % goes down. As an example, a bottle of Barolo that wholesales for $1200. a case can be sold for $200 to $250 a bottle. The other side of the coin is as you stated. We also do not know if the prices you quoted are a national average or because of a super deal that the retailer got because he bought a lot of another product that was not selling. This happens a lot. "You buy this and I will give you this for dirt cheap so I can get it out of my warehouse"

 

garardo

[BILLP1]

Double the retail price is usually the fair restaurant price.

 

$15 dollars in a wine store should sell for $30 to $35 in a restaurant. .